In the petroleum industry, visual inspection of containers in which are stored petroleum products, residues, and derivatives is considered important to assess their physical integrity, and prevent possible ruptures due to defects (e.g. cracks and/or corrosion) present on the surface of the containers.
More generally, the presence of opaque and viscous residues on a surface of such containers makes visual inspection of the surface difficult, and impossible in some circumstances. For at least this reason, the opaque and viscous residues often need to be removed to allow visual inspection of the surfaces of the containers. However, removal of such residues is a laborious and costly task that may even generate hazardous and toxic substances.
There is thus a need for an apparatus for inspecting surfaces covered by opaque and viscous substances that addresses at least some of the challenges presented above.